


sweetest devotion

by kaeilli



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Character Development, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark is Not Good With Kids, at first, no aunt may erasure here, past mary fitzgerald/tony stark, protect aunt may
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23885626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaeilli/pseuds/kaeilli
Summary: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Tony Stark had it all. Yeah, okay, his personal life may have been in shambles between his alcoholism, constant flings with women, and general lack of responsibility for anything... but that didn't matter. Live fast, die young, right? That was Tony's philosophy.All until a baby by the name of Peter Parker-Stark entered his life, throwing a wrench in Tony's life. Learning how to be a dad wasn't exactly on Tony's agenda, nor had it ever been for the future.Not until Peter had Tony wrapped around his little finger, at least.
Relationships: Mary Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	sweetest devotion

Tony Stark had been called many things in his life. 

Merchant of death. Youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company ever. A child prodigy, prodigal son, American patriot. Even affectionately named ‘Tones’.

This morning, however, he was _not_ affectionately called anything that was PG-13 by the hot blonde he picked up last night at a party. She was kind of crazy; though, the crazy ones were always the fun ones. Unfortunate.

She had been screaming curses at him when he told her to leave and threw a shoe at his head. He barely ducked out of the way, eyebrows raised in surprise at her miraculous aim from across the room. It took a call to Happy to have the man rushing upstairs, hurrying the woman along who was in tears by that time.

Honestly, these women should know by now he only had one night stands. Like hell would any of them change him after one night of sex.

Three mugs of coffee, a shower, and an hour and a half later, he was in the back of an Audi that Happy was cruising down the highway towards Stark Industries. A raging headache remained behind his temples, only partially sated by the pair of dark sunglasses he wore. Another text buzzed the phone in his pocket.

 _Where are you? You’re an hour late._ Ah, yes, yet another _caring_ text message from his (probably irate) personal assistant. He should probably answer her to let her know he was on his way.

Instead, he crossed one leg over the other and started checking a slew of emails that were building up until the building of Stark Industries came into view.

“Alright, Hap,” Tony said, opening the door for himself before the eager bodyguard could run around the side and open it for him. A look of fresh disappointment crossed his expression but Tony patted his shoulder as he kept walking. “I’ll have Pepper update you when I’m leaving. Don’t have too much fun doing… whatever it is you’re going to.”

Tony had barely stepped out of the elevator onto his level when he was met with an irritated, “Nice to see you’ve finally decided to come to work, Mr. Stark.”

The redheaded assistant stood by the elevator, files in her hands, and an irritated expression adorning her features. Dammit. Happy, that traitor, letting Pepper know he was here. He was probably just mad that he made her escort the angry chick out of his room this morning.

“I know I’m late,” Tony asserted as he sauntered towards his office, “but spare me the lecture today, Miss Potts. I’ve got a killer hangover to nurse right now and another girl I had to chase out of my bed this morning.” Being a playboy? Yeah, it was a hard job.

The severely unamused expression on Pepper’s face was enough to have Tony’s mouth snapping shut, sighing heavily through his nose. Alright, so he wasn’t getting off the hook that easily today. Tony lifted the sunglasses off the bridge of his nose and instantly regretted it. Why was the sun so goddamn bright? Lordy… he massaged his temple and opened the door to his office.

The steady click of heels behind him indicated Pepper was following, the door shutting softly behind her.

Pepper had been his assistant for a couple of years. A detail-oriented, organized woman with a plan, she had been in the department of finances when she first came busting into his office (and his life). It was about a mistake in a finance report that could have cost the company millions. Her confidence had led to a face full of mace from a well-meaning bodyguard with the wrong idea when she tried to argue and enter the office anyways.

Tony ended up laughing about it for days afterward. After the panic, of course, and making sure there was no lawsuit on their hands. It even earned her the nickname Pepper. Virginia was just a mouthful and Ginny made him need a drink.

And years later, here she was. Somehow managing to keep up with his bullshit and he didn’t even know why or how.

“What’s on the docket for today?” he asked, taking a seat at his desk. A bottle of water and aspirin sat untouched at the corner of his desk, he noted right away and reached for the aspirin first. Courtesy of Pepper, he was sure. She knew him too well.

“Today,” she said, bringing the clipboard tucked under her arm out to look at, “you have a meeting at 3:30 with a group of investors. Obadiah specifically asked that you not be late this time. In the evening there’s an awards ceremony you already RSVP’ed to. You’re giving out the award for innovator of the year for a rather prestigious company so please, don’t neglect your duty. You’re the face of the company and showing up to events you’ve already promised to be at is part of the job description. And respectful.” Pepper took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. “Otherwise, I’ve compiled the paperwork that’s time-sensitive.” A folder came down on the desk in front of him. With a look of distaste, he slid it to the side. “I imagine you’ll get right to it. I’ve asked Debra to bring your coffee in at 10.” She took a peek at her watch. “In 22 minutes, then. You’ve outdone yourself today. I thought we wouldn’t be expecting you for a while.”

Ouch. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” He popped the cap off of the water bottle, eyes grazing the desk and its contents as he took a swig of the bottle. Picking up one of the files, he opened it up, reading the head title to the first order of business of the morning. “Was there something else?”

When silence met his request, he looked up expectantly. For the ever so professional woman she was, Pepper seemed perplexed or even a bit concerned. “What is it? Need to take the night off for a hot date? Did I get in another scandal? Need a raise? Throw it at me, Pep.” He leaned back, cupping his hand in a ‘give it to me’ motion.

“Mary Parker is waiting for you.”

Tony waited for Pepper to continue but his assistant didn’t, simply staring at him with expectation in her eyes. Like he should have known who she was talking about. Spoiler alert: he didn’t. “Okay. Right. Remind me again-”

“Mary Parker,” she repeated. “Or Mary Fitzgerald, actually. She said you would recognize that name.”

...Oh.

Tony did recognize that name. He recognized it so well that he could see bright green eyes, a shy smile, and a slim figure he’d been attracted to in his memories. A beautiful personality and an amazing brain, Mary Fitzgerald had been an enigma from the moment Tony met her.

“She came in at 9 looking for you and she was insistent that she had to talk to you. She looked pregnant, so I’m under the assumption she will claim it’s yours. I led her to the waiting room down the hall for now. Should I have the legal team standby and get a DNA test of the child before- ...Mr. Stark?”

Tony was out of his seat, the temporary shock lifted as he made his way across the office. A pregnant Mary was in his company’s building. That could mean anything but Tony was adamant that it didn’t mean what Pepper thought it did. Maybe Mary was just looking for a friendly conversation of ‘catch up’.

He slipped out the door and down the hall to the open space that had been modeled into a waiting room. A couple of high-end couches surrounded a coffee table with magazines spread over the mahogany surface. A TV sat in the corner, a news channel of some sort playing softly on its grainy screen. The smell of coffee from the break room wafted down the hall to complete the ‘corporate building’ vibe.

But what caught Tony’s attention was the woman sat upon one of the couches. She sat completely stiff with a pile of papers in one hand, and the other pressed against her rather large, protruding stomach.

That was definitely Mary Fitzgerald.

Tony wiped his hand over his mouth, a quiet “shit” escaping him as Pepper caught up.

The not-so-subtle sound of Tony and Pepper arriving alerted his guest. Her expression was akin to a deer in headlights; caught off guard and nervous.

Tony felt just the same way.

They stared at each other, dark eyes meeting jade.

If anyone were to ask Tony who his first true love was, he would laugh the question off. It was easy to flash a smug smile and shrug, claiming that his playboy tendencies meant he had no time (and no desire) to settle for love.

It wasn’t a false statement, either.

Tony Stark had no time for settling down and loving anyone. Not like anyone loved him for who he was, anyways. Why get his heart broken when he could do the heart breaking? Money could only solve so much and a broken heart wasn’t one of them.

But if he were really honest with himself, he could claim that Mary Fitzgerald was the closest thing he had to a first true love. It developed slowly from lust into something that felt far too real.

It was good he cut things off when they did. Tony couldn’t afford to fall in love.

“Can you give us a minute, Pep?” Tony asked, his eyes not straying from Mary’s. He was sure Pepper aimed a confused expression at his back. She usually dismissed girls like her for him, used to the playboy persona he bore. While the action was completely out of nature for him, she slowly turned and strode away.

Talking about what Tony was pretty sure Mary had come there for, in an open space such as this, was probably a bad idea. Who knew what employees could be around the corner, eager to sell the latest scandal to the tabloids?

Tony, however, didn’t exactly care. He had his share of fatherhood scandals, all of which were quickly shut down by his legal team. By now it was the ‘boy who cried wolf’. Most of these were swept under the rug, anyways, only taken up by those secondhand tabloids struggling to make a buck by claiming _Tom Cruise was brainwashed… by aliens!_

Sidling up to the couch that his previous fling sat on, Tony nodded a greeting towards her. The tension in the air was palpable and so very suffocating. He hated it. “Mary Fitzgerald,” he said, ignoring the way his hands shook ever so slightly. “What a surprise-”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted.

Tony scoffed, rubbing the back of his neck as he dropped down onto the couch. “Right, I got that much.” The question on the tip of his tongue felt heavy like he already knew the answer to it before he could even voice it. “What does that have to do with me, Mar?”

“I’m eight months along.” When Tony remained silent, she looked away toward the television instead of having to face him. “Richard and I got back together a couple of weeks after we.... after you and I…” she swallowed thickly, their actions not needed to be said aloud. “I moved back to New York with Richard and not soon after, I got the news.”

“So…?”

“It’s yours.”

Even though he had been expecting those words, his throat constricted. With a shake of his head, he rebutted the statement firmly. “How could you know that? It’s probably Richard’s-”

Mary laughed, the sound sharp and high in pitch. “Rich and I hadn’t had sex since a week before the breakup. Then I moved out here and that was the last of us. Months, Tony. It had been months since I saw him. You were the only person I slept with. Then Richie showed back up. He said he couldn’t leave things how they were and I agreed but we were going to take things slow.” She set the papers down on the coffee table, gesturing for him to look

There was a beat of reluctance before he reached for the papers. The doctor's visit had been December 30. 6 weeks pregnant, they assumed. Which would put the kid’s conception at… fuck, November. Late November. Tony had last seen Mary on November 23.

“Tony, I know it’s yours-”

“What has Richard said about this?” he asked stiffly, looking at the wedding ring sitting on Mary’s left hand. He could make assumptions with the wedding ring and the last name, but hearing it from her would solidify it.

“He understands,” Mary said, curling her right hand over the wedding ring. “We got married a couple of months after I found out.”

“So what,” Tony snorted, his voice sounding oddly detached. “You tell him you fucked another guy, he says everything is fine and dandy, and you two skip down the wedding aisle? Become the Brady Bunch? He’s just gonna accept this kid as his own, knowing it’s not at all his?”

Mary shot him a glance, brows furrowing. “What, like you want to claim this kid?” Her tone had jumped from pleading to angry in half a second, surprising Tony as he leaned back. “Tony Stark, you’re a selfish man. I learned that myself months ago.”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Tony snapped, “I told you from the beginning, I don’t get attached-”

“Attached my foot,” she mocked. “You’re too _scared._ Richie said that he would raise him as his own. I don’t want anything from you, Mr. Stark, and it was silly of me to come and think you might have a change of heart. I wanted you to meet your son and to have a part in his life. I guess I was wrong to think so highly of you.” She stood up, slowly and wobbly, and steadied herself as she took the papers back out of his hands without waiting.

Did she say… son?

He grabbed her wrist, causing her to look back with a glare. “Wait! Wait. It’s… a boy?”

Mary’s mouth turned down into a frown, snatching her hand back from his grasp. “Not it. Peter’s not an it.”

“Peter,” Tony mumbled to himself, the name seeming foreign and heavy on his tongue. “You’re naming it- no, sorry, him. You’re naming him Peter.”

It was quiet as Tony absorbed this information, biting down on the inside of his cheek. Calling the thing ‘it’ made it seem impersonal. Another child, easy to shove away. Calling him Peter was a whole different situation. His brows furrowed, head dropping to get a hold of his thoughts. A steely gaze could be felt but Mary made no move to walk away.

“When are you due?” Tony asked, fingers interlocked and slowly twisted back and forth.

“August 20th.”

Licking his lips, Tony nodded. There was no doubt in his mind that the kid was his. Mary had never been anything but truthful. “Well. Let me know what you need financially and I’ll cover it.” He stood up, straightening his jacket without another look at her. “I would like a DNA test after the kid’s born, though, to make sure. And don’t let anyone catch wind of this. It wouldn’t fit my image to have “Tony Stark Becomes A Dad” across the headlines, now would it?”

Mary scoffed, shaking her head. “So you want nothing to do with Peter.” It wasn’t a question, but rather a purely disappointed statement.

“I said I would pay for your shit, didn’t I?” Tony deadpanned. “What more could someone need?” It wasn’t like the kid wanted Tony to be his father anyways. He patted his pocket, feeling the rectangle cardstock within and pulled it out. Setting the business card with all of Pepper’s information on it on top of Mary’s stack of papers, he nodded once. “Just call Miss Potts if you need anything. I’ll have her show you out as well.

Turning on his heel, Tony strode towards his office and into the doors where Pepper sat at her desk, a pen in hand but no work truly being done. “Tony-”

“I gave her your business card. Escort her out. I have business to get to.” He shoved his office door open, waiting until it clicked behind him before he sunk into his seat, lowering his head into his hands.

Fuck.

_________________

Rhodey’s hand came slamming down on top of the bartop where Tony sat. The slap was loud and reverberated in the empty living space, causing the glass to slide across the wood grain. Tony barely jumped, letting his head heavily move to the side to cast the (previously promoted) Air Force Major a glare. “Hi to you too,” he grunted, reaching to return the empty glass to its original position.

“You ditched everything to get drunk. Again. I can’t keep bailing you out, Tony.” His voice was saturated with irritation. Like Tony had done something wrong.

...Alright, he _had_ done something wrong. Pepper had reminded him to be at both the meeting _and_ the awards ceremony this morning. But it was completely justifiable, he thought because it wasn’t every day he learned he had a kid on the way. Though, all the other times he had bailed out of important events he never had a solid excuse, so maybe he could see why the anger in his best friend’s face was so legitimate.

Tony rubbed a tired hand across the side of his face. “Who sent you this time? Obie or Pepper?” He didn’t bother protesting as he watched the bottle be taken away and put back into the cabinet; he had some stashed in his room anyway.

“You ditched the ceremony. This won’t look good in the news tomorrow, nor will it look good when another organization wants someone to give out an award. You’re earning yourself a reputation, Tones, and it’s not a good one. And- dammit, you smell like a brewery. How much did you drink?”

Tony waved a hand dismissively at the lecture he was receiving. “Breweries make beer.”

 _“What?”_ Rhodey asked sharply, nose scrunching up as he went to grab the hand he waved, pulling him away from the bar.

“I _said,_ ” Tony began again, louder this time as he pulled away from Rhodey and collapsed on the stool, “breweries make beer. I had whiskey. So, I smell like a distillery.”

Leaning against the counter, disbelief in his eyes, Rhodey retorted, “You smell like an alcoholic. What the hell is going on with you right now?”

A sarcastic laugh escaped him, unable to help himself as he shrugged. The normal filter in his brain let go. He blamed the alcohol. Some might argue it was because he was in the presence of one of the people he trusted most. “I’m a father now, Rhodey.” Silence followed his statement and he turned to look at his best friend who simply stared back, waiting for more. “Remember that girl I had a fling with? The researcher from New York? She flew back to California and saw me today. Yeah, knocked her up, I guess.” By this point he was staring unseeingly into the cabinet ahead, mouth twisted down into a grimace.

“Pepper told me as much,” Rhodey admitted. “And that you pushed Mary away. Again.”

“I’m not a father-type,” Tony said, continuing to stare into the cabinet where he could see his reflection. “You know _Howard._ ” The word was spat, nose scrunching after he said the bastard’s name. “Fucking bastard wasn’t a father at all. And I’m his son, so obviously… I’m gonna fuck up too. I can’t mess up that kid any more than he will be already for having my genes. That’s why I stay my distance, you know? Pay for everything. I’m good for that, at least. Leave the homey, affectionate shit to his parents. Parents… hah.” Looking down at his glass, he grabbed it, raising it. “I need another drink. I’m too sober for this shit.”

With a sigh, Rhodey stood up straight. “No, you don’t. You need to get to bed.”

Tony didn’t protest this time as he was pulled off the stool, slowly stumbling as an arm came around his waist. Most of his weight was propped against Rhodey and his vision blurred. “D'you know… his name is Peter?” A half-hearted hum answered his question. “Peter. Peter is a nice name. Peter… Stark. I like it,” he mumbled.

It wasn’t until they reached his room, wasn’t until he collapsed on the bed, and Rhodey made sure he was alright and left for the night that Tony felt the situation collapse on his chest.

Sprawled out in the bed, staring up at the ceiling, his heart constricted.

Kids had never been on his mind. Tony Stark wasn’t a father and never would be a father. His lifestyle was too immoral and scandalous to let any sort of child grow up around him. 

One of the things he hated the most was going to talk at colleges and having those optimistic college students come running up to him, stars shining in their eyes like Tony was worth something to them. _You’re my role model, Tony! You inspired me to study electrical engineering! I want to be just like you!_

Be just like him. To what, grow up an alcoholic, egotistical asshole with no purpose in his life? Those kids really had to work to fuck themselves up as he did to himself.

He was too much like Howard to ever allow a child near him. If he ever did half of what Howard had to Peter… Tony wasn’t sure he could live with himself.

Distance was good. Distance would keep the kid safe.

Tony Stark had been called many things in his life. 

Merchant of death. Youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company ever. A child prodigy, prodigal son, American patriot. Even affectionately named ‘Tones’.

One name he would never be affectionately named?

Dad.

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this like, a week and a half ago. But then I read it again and I didn't like it. So, what did I do?
> 
> I deleted it and spent the last 48 hours of my weekend doing nothing but writing and editing and fretting about whether my story looked okay or not.
> 
> Sooooo. here's go #2, haha.
> 
> I got my inspiration largely from this amazing gif set on Tumblr. https://mamalaz.tumblr.com/post/173581326152/avengers-au-if-tony-was-peters-biological  
> if you haven't seen it already, here's the masterpiece.
> 
> I can't wait to continue writing this and plotting it through the MCU. I have plans and I'm excited for them!!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


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